Hello everyone, I am hoping the more experienced sailors will chime in here! I am pulling the trigger and planning to enter the cruising world next year, but am a little concerned that with money being tight I may fail somewhere along the line and wanted opinions. The goal would be to sail for the next 5-10 years around the Globe.

First, my purchase: My choices are a Lagoon 380, 400, or 410 or a Fountaine Pajot Athena 38, Lipari 41 or Lavezzi 40. The year of manufacture I am looking at is 2000 through 2007. My price range is maxed out at 170k with about 30k saved for a refit. After that I will have NO liquid cash and if something happens, I would have 30k remaining in a Roth 401k I could withdraw.

Income: I would have $2300/month passively (rental income plus stocks minus insurance) of which I broke down the following PER MONTH:

boat mx

1000

Food

450

mooring

200

gas

80

phone

60

boat insurance

500

Total

2290

Now I am aware that the margins look VERY close, but I am also hopeful that I will not be spending $1000 EVERY month on maintenance and that getting a full refit would lower large expenses along the way. I am also aware that there is not money left over for exploration, entertainment, or travel away from the boat, but am hopeful I may be able to earn some money along the way. I am also hoping to be at anchor often and hopefully avoid a $200/mo charge every now and then.

I have always subscribed to the philosophy that where there is a will, there is a way, but I do not have the sailing experience to verify that this is not a complete failure waiting to happen.

I have watched EVERY SINGLE VIDEO out there on cost and it appears I could make it work by comparison. What says this knowledgeable group? Do my estimated costs seem accurate?

Out Chasing Stars is a great blog featuring a Fountaine Pajot Helia 44 cruising full time. They posted their total cruising costs in a very detailed breakdown. They have another article covering their first year costs. Hope this helps.